Americans Drive Fewer Miles In March
May 23, 2008
By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- With gasoline and diesel prices soaring to record levels, American drivers are cutting back sharply on the miles they travel, the Department of Transportation reported Friday.
Total vehicle miles driven fell in March by 4.3%, or 11 billion miles, to 246.3 billion miles, compared with the year earlier. It was the largest year-over-year decline in miles driven since the government began keeping records in 1942.
Americans drive more than 3 trillion miles each year. So far this year, cumulative miles driven are down by 2.3%.
The biggest decline came in smaller rural roads, where miles traveled fell 6.6% in March and were down a cumulative 3.5% through the first three months of the year. The smallest decline was on rural interstates.
Urban highway travel is also down, with urban interstate travel down 3.6% in March, and major urban road travel down 3.8%.
Miles traveled fell in every region and in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Only Hawaii managed increased traffic in March compared with the year earlier. The biggest declines were seen in the lower Mississippi states, with traffic down 8.6% in Kentucky and Tennessee and off 8.2% in Arkansas.
The Transportation Department study is based on thousands of automatic traffic counters throughout the country.
Other government data show a more modest decline in driving. The volume of gasoline sold has been lower than the year earlier for 17 of the past 18 weeks, and was down 0.6% year-over-year in the most recent data released by the Energy Department.
By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- With gasoline and diesel prices soaring to record levels, American drivers are cutting back sharply on the miles they travel, the Department of Transportation reported Friday.
Total vehicle miles driven fell in March by 4.3%, or 11 billion miles, to 246.3 billion miles, compared with the year earlier. It was the largest year-over-year decline in miles driven since the government began keeping records in 1942.
Americans drive more than 3 trillion miles each year. So far this year, cumulative miles driven are down by 2.3%.
The biggest decline came in smaller rural roads, where miles traveled fell 6.6% in March and were down a cumulative 3.5% through the first three months of the year. The smallest decline was on rural interstates.
Urban highway travel is also down, with urban interstate travel down 3.6% in March, and major urban road travel down 3.8%.
Miles traveled fell in every region and in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Only Hawaii managed increased traffic in March compared with the year earlier. The biggest declines were seen in the lower Mississippi states, with traffic down 8.6% in Kentucky and Tennessee and off 8.2% in Arkansas.
The Transportation Department study is based on thousands of automatic traffic counters throughout the country.
Other government data show a more modest decline in driving. The volume of gasoline sold has been lower than the year earlier for 17 of the past 18 weeks, and was down 0.6% year-over-year in the most recent data released by the Energy Department.
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